Molluscs Crustaceans & Cephalopods Species Only
Molluscs Crustaceans & Cephalopods Species Only
Molluscs Crustaceans & Cephalopods Species Only
CRUSTACEANS
& CEPHALOPODS
Shrimp
Shrimp are small animals that
live on the floor of oceans and
lakes. There are over 2,000
different species of shrimp
worldwide. Shrimp are
invertebrates (animals lacking
a backbone) that have a tough
exoskeleton.
Anatomy: Shrimp range from a
small fraction of an inch to 9
inches (a few mm to 23 cm)
long. These crustaceans have
a thin, smooth, hard, and
almost transparent
exoskeleton. Shrimp vary
widely in color; tropical
varieties are often brightly
colored. Shrimp have 5 pairs of
jointed walking legs on the
thorax, and they have 5 pairs of
swimming legs (swimmerets)
and 3 pairs of maxillae (feeding
appendages) on the abdomen.
The body, legs, swimmerets,
and other appendages are
segmented. Shrimp have two
pairs of segmented sensory
antennae, a tail fan, and
compound eyes.
Diet: Shrimp are omnivores; they eat plants and
small animals. The unusual pistol shrimp kills or
stuns its prey by making a very loud sound with a
huge claw with a moveable, snapping appendage.
Life Cycle: Female shrimp lay over a thousand eggs,
which are attached to her swimming legs. The shrimp
emerge as tiny, floating organisms, a component of
zooplankton. After growing, they sink to the bottom,
where they will live. As a shrimp grows, it often molts
(losing its old shell and growing a new one).
Predators: Shrimp are eaten by many animals,
including many fish, many birds (including flamingos
and loons), octopi, squid, cuttlefish, and people.
Scallop
Scallops are bivalves; they have two hard shells and
a soft body;
they spend most of their time on the sea bottom.
Scallops mostly stay in underwater grass beds on a
soft, shallow sea floor.
Scallops use jet propulsion to move; they quickly
open and close their shells, squirting the water out of
the shells, moving in spurts.
These invertebrate animals have a life span of about
1 1/2 years.
Diet: Scallops eat microscopic food, like algae and
plankton that floats through the water.
Predators of the Scallop:Many animals eat
scallops, including sea stars, crabs, and people.
Anatomy: The two hard
shells (also called valves)
are attached by a muscular
hinge called the adductor
muscle
The Bay Scallop is about 3
inches (8 cm) in diameter;
other scallops can reach 8
inches (20 cm) in diameter.
The shell is secreted by the
mantle, which is a thin sheet
of tissue located between
the shell and the body.
Scallops have many
primitive eyes; they can only
sense changed in light and
motion, helping them to
detect predators.
Sea Urchin
The sea urchin is a spiny, hard-shelled animal that lives on the
rocky seafloor, from shallow waters to great depths. These
globular marine invertebrates move very slowly along the
seabed.
There are about 700 different species of sea urchins worldwide.
Many sea urchins have venomous spines. The biggest sea
urchin is the red sea urchin (Strongylocentratus franciscanus); it
has a test about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter.
Diet: Sea urchins eat plant and animal matter, including kelp,
decaying matter, algae, dead fish, sponges, mussels, and
barnacles.
Predators of Sea Urchins: Sea urchins are eaten by crabs,
sunflower stars, snails, sea otters, some birds, fish (including
wolf eels), and people.
Adult Anatomy: Adult sea
urchins have five-sided radial
symmetry. Their skin has hard,
chalky plates, and is called the
test. Sea urchins have a
globular body and long spines
that radiate from the body. The
spines are used for protection,
for moving,and for trapping
drifting algae to eat. Among the
spines are five paired rows of
tiny tube feet with suckers that
help with locomotion, capturing
food, and holding onto the
seafloor. Tiny pedicellarines are
small stinging structures that
are used for defense and for
obtaining food. Like all
echinoderms, sea urchins do
not have a brain. The mouth is
claw-like and is located on the
underside; it has 5 tooth-like
plates that point inwards and
are called Aristotle's lantern.
The anus and the genital pores
are on the top of the sea urchin.
Oysters
Oysters are soft-bodied animals that have two hard, protective
shells (a bivalve). They spend their entire lives in one
underwater location.
The shape of the oyster's shells varies, depending mostly upon
how crowded they are in the oyster bed.
Pearls: Pearls are sometimes found in oysters. When a grain of
sand (or other irritating substance) gets stuck between the
oyster's mantle and shell, the oyster secrets nacre. This shiny
substance coats the grain of sand, and over the years, forms a
lustrous pearl.